Soft Toys Are In. A Close Look at Fashion’s Hottest Summer Accessory
By Lauren CochraneAny parent will likely be familiar with soft toys – the often-loveworn collection of teddies, bunnies and lambies that often litter the bedroom of under-fives. But these adorable creatures are – in the manner of Toy Story, perhaps – escaping from their usual territory among ‘kid’s stuff’ and coming for the grown-ups. Soft toys are becoming bona fide accessories – sold for lots of money by brands including Acne Studios, Maxmara and Louis Vuitton, and, in the case of sausage dogs, turned into bags by Thom Browne. So, is this a case of arrested development or more about aesthetics? Let’s find out.
Where are fashion’s soft toys?
As well as the above brands, London-based British-Iranian designer Paria Farzaneh (who has in the pages spoken of her fondness for Hello Kitty) recently introduced Bijan, a bear with a tie and very fancy paisley boots – a hit at her recent pop-up store in East London. They were big news in street style at the recent Copenhagen Fashion Week, an event fast-becoming the place to see the most stylish people. Here, the brand (Di)vision created a coat made from soft toys while show attendees had everything (everyone?) from Donald Duck to Hello Kitty decorating otherwise very grown-up bags.
I thought fashion was a bit mean. What’s going on?
Vogue France fashion editor Héloïse Salessy put it down to the end of quiet luxury, and the desire for “something a bit more playful.” “Maybe we are all a bit nostalgic, as we go through hard times,” she said. The product description for Louis Vuitton’s £730 soft toy says it all: “The Vivienne Doudou Mini is a cute, collectible companion for children and adults alike….Its small size means it can be carried anywhere, ready to be taken out and hugged.” Think of them as emotional support animals for the very rich and somewhat stylish.
What if I don’t have £730 to spend on a cuddly toy?
Allow us to introduce you to the excellently-named Bag Crap. Set up by Amanda Marcuson earlier this year, the Instagram account sources soft (and non-soft toys) to repurpose as bag charms. Around $65, they quickly sell out. However, the founder – as the name suggests – is very aware of the humour when it comes to the business. “I saw the bag charm trend really exploding on social media and thought it was equal parts obnoxious and hilarious in the best way possible,” she told Vogue. “My thought was, what is the absolute dumbest thing I could put on my Birkin… a Barbie? A hot dog? What about a Barbie and a hot dog?” Definitely. Channeling your inner five-year-old – hardly an age group known for their restraint – is the key to this look.
OK we get that it’s about nostalgia and bad taste, but give me something high brow…
The charm of the soft toy has made its way beyond fashion to the greatest minds of our times. In the recommendations included in the Perfectly Imperfect newsletter, New Yorker staff writer Naomi Fry suggested “hugging a stuffed animal” while going to sleep, theorising in a typically eloquent manner that “sometimes you just need something soft and vaguely anthropomorphic to feel less alone in the world.” They’re also in galleries. American artist Mike Kelley – the man behind Sonic Youth’s 1992 Dirty album cover, complete with orange knitted soft toy – will have his first posthumous UK exhibition at the Tate Modern in October.
What is the ultimate inspo though?
Look to the perhaps unlikely world of the Paris Olympics. Shooter Kim Ye-Ji scored a silver medal but she also briefly topped the memes table, thanks to the ominipresent image of her wearing futuristic glasses, a limited edition Fila top and, tucked into her trousers, a grey elephant soft toy belonging to her six-year-old daughter.
Lauren Cochrane is Senior Fashion Writer of The Guardian and contributes to publications including The Face, ELLE, Service95, Konfekt and Mr Porter. Based in London, she writes about everything from catwalk shows to footballers’ style and the linguistics of Love Island. She is author of The Ten: The Stories Behind the Fashion Classics. Header image: Paria Farzaneh / Instagram.